The naturalness of anthropomorphism: a theoretical discussion based on video-recorded human-humanoid interactions

Brian Lystgaard Due; Damien Rudaz

The naturalness of anthropomorphism: a theoretical discussion based on video-recorded human-humanoid interactions

Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics

Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference abstract for conference › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Anthropomorphism is attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. People have routinely, throughout history, attributed human emotions and behavioural characteristics to animals. Rather than being inherently problematic, anthropomorphism has consistently helped humans relate meaningfully to gods, animals, nature, and machines. Psychological theories argue it to be a natural mode of thinking. Rather than a pathology, it is an extension of our theory of mind (Guthrie, 1997). Anthropomorphism has gained new attention in the wake of social robots and humanoids in particular. Instead of trying to demarcate what is “real”, what is a “real” agent and what is a “real” relation, we seek in this presentation to explore the natural fluidity of producing realness and agency through occasioned, situated processes of sociomaterial engagement. Instead of discussing anthropomorphism from a cognitive, historical or psychological point of view as either a good or bad thing, we depart in this presentation from videorecorded data of human-humanoid interactions in social environments as the baseline for arguing the relevance and realness of local ontologies (Holbraad & Pedersen, 2017). We will, based on ethnomethodological conversation analytical methods with an openness towards distributed agency (Due, 2024), show the temporal shifts and sociomaterial practices of forming different kinds of human-humanoid assemblages in which the robot is moment-by-moment naturally anthropomorphised or treated as dead material.

Due, B. L. (2024). Situated socio-material assemblages: Assemmethodology in the making. Human
Communication Research, 50(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad031
Guthrie, S. E. (1997). Anthropomorphism: A Definition and a Theory. I R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thompson,
& H. L. Miles (Red.), Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals (s. 50–58). SUNY Press.
Holbraad, M., & Pedersen, M. A. (2017). The Ontological Turn: An Anthropological Exposition.
Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316218907

Original language	English
Publication date	4 Dec 2025
Publication status	Published - 4 Dec 2025
Event	Nordisco, the 8th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Duration: 3 Dec 2025 → 5 Dec 2025 https://www.ntnu.edu/nordisco2025/home

Conference

Conference	Nordisco, the 8th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction
Location	Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Country/Territory	Norway
City	Trondheim
Period	03/12/2025 → 05/12/2025
Internet address	https://www.ntnu.edu/nordisco2025/home

Library access?

Check availability at the Royal Danish Library

Cite this

The naturalness of anthropomorphism: a theoretical discussion based on video-recorded human-humanoid interactions. / Due, Brian Lystgaard ; Rudaz, Damien.
2025. Abstract from Nordisco, the 8th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction, Trondheim, Norway.

Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference abstract for conference › Research › peer-review

@conference{372625aecbde4e0bad4d115dd099a34f,

title = "The naturalness of anthropomorphism: a theoretical discussion based on video-recorded human-humanoid interactions",

abstract = "Anthropomorphism is attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. People have routinely, throughout history, attributed human emotions and behavioural characteristics to animals. Rather than being inherently problematic, anthropomorphism has consistently helped humans relate meaningfully to gods, animals, nature, and machines. Psychological theories argue it to be a natural mode of thinking. Rather than a pathology, it is an extension of our theory of mind (Guthrie, 1997). Anthropomorphism has gained new attention in the wake of social robots and humanoids in particular. Instead of trying to demarcate what is “real”, what is a “real” agent and what is a “real” relation, we seek in this presentation to explore the natural fluidity of producing realness and agency through occasioned, situated processes of sociomaterial engagement. Instead of discussing anthropomorphism from a cognitive, historical or psychological point of view as either a good or bad thing, we depart in this presentation from videorecorded data of human-humanoid interactions in social environments as the baseline for arguing the relevance and realness of local ontologies (Holbraad & Pedersen, 2017). We will, based on ethnomethodological conversation analytical methods with an openness towards distributed agency (Due, 2024), show the temporal shifts and sociomaterial practices of forming different kinds of human-humanoid assemblages in which the robot is moment-by-moment naturally anthropomorphised or treated as dead material.Due, B. L. (2024). Situated socio-material assemblages: Assemmethodology in the making. HumanCommunication Research, 50(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad031Guthrie, S. E. (1997). Anthropomorphism: A Definition and a Theory. I R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thompson,& H. L. Miles (Red.), Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals (s. 50–58). SUNY Press.Holbraad, M., & Pedersen, M. A. (2017). The Ontological Turn: An Anthropological Exposition.Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316218907",

author = "Due, {Brian Lystgaard} and Damien Rudaz",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

day = "4",

language = "English",

note = "Nordisco, the 8th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction, Nordisco ; Conference date: 03-12-2025 Through 05-12-2025",

url = "https://www.ntnu.edu/nordisco2025/home",

}

TY - ABST

T1 - The naturalness of anthropomorphism

T2 - Nordisco, the 8th Nordic Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Interaction

AU - Due, Brian Lystgaard

AU - Rudaz, Damien

PY - 2025/12/4

Y1 - 2025/12/4

N2 - Anthropomorphism is attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. People have routinely, throughout history, attributed human emotions and behavioural characteristics to animals. Rather than being inherently problematic, anthropomorphism has consistently helped humans relate meaningfully to gods, animals, nature, and machines. Psychological theories argue it to be a natural mode of thinking. Rather than a pathology, it is an extension of our theory of mind (Guthrie, 1997). Anthropomorphism has gained new attention in the wake of social robots and humanoids in particular. Instead of trying to demarcate what is “real”, what is a “real” agent and what is a “real” relation, we seek in this presentation to explore the natural fluidity of producing realness and agency through occasioned, situated processes of sociomaterial engagement. Instead of discussing anthropomorphism from a cognitive, historical or psychological point of view as either a good or bad thing, we depart in this presentation from videorecorded data of human-humanoid interactions in social environments as the baseline for arguing the relevance and realness of local ontologies (Holbraad & Pedersen, 2017). We will, based on ethnomethodological conversation analytical methods with an openness towards distributed agency (Due, 2024), show the temporal shifts and sociomaterial practices of forming different kinds of human-humanoid assemblages in which the robot is moment-by-moment naturally anthropomorphised or treated as dead material.Due, B. L. (2024). Situated socio-material assemblages: Assemmethodology in the making. HumanCommunication Research, 50(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad031Guthrie, S. E. (1997). Anthropomorphism: A Definition and a Theory. I R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thompson,& H. L. Miles (Red.), Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals (s. 50–58). SUNY Press.Holbraad, M., & Pedersen, M. A. (2017). The Ontological Turn: An Anthropological Exposition.Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316218907

AB - Anthropomorphism is attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. People have routinely, throughout history, attributed human emotions and behavioural characteristics to animals. Rather than being inherently problematic, anthropomorphism has consistently helped humans relate meaningfully to gods, animals, nature, and machines. Psychological theories argue it to be a natural mode of thinking. Rather than a pathology, it is an extension of our theory of mind (Guthrie, 1997). Anthropomorphism has gained new attention in the wake of social robots and humanoids in particular. Instead of trying to demarcate what is “real”, what is a “real” agent and what is a “real” relation, we seek in this presentation to explore the natural fluidity of producing realness and agency through occasioned, situated processes of sociomaterial engagement. Instead of discussing anthropomorphism from a cognitive, historical or psychological point of view as either a good or bad thing, we depart in this presentation from videorecorded data of human-humanoid interactions in social environments as the baseline for arguing the relevance and realness of local ontologies (Holbraad & Pedersen, 2017). We will, based on ethnomethodological conversation analytical methods with an openness towards distributed agency (Due, 2024), show the temporal shifts and sociomaterial practices of forming different kinds of human-humanoid assemblages in which the robot is moment-by-moment naturally anthropomorphised or treated as dead material.Due, B. L. (2024). Situated socio-material assemblages: Assemmethodology in the making. HumanCommunication Research, 50(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqad031Guthrie, S. E. (1997). Anthropomorphism: A Definition and a Theory. I R. W. Mitchell, N. S. Thompson,& H. L. Miles (Red.), Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals (s. 50–58). SUNY Press.Holbraad, M., & Pedersen, M. A. (2017). The Ontological Turn: An Anthropological Exposition.Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316218907

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

Y2 - 3 December 2025 through 5 December 2025

ER -